


It’s a mystery to me how you keep on slipping in my mind

by webofdreams89



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, F/F, F/M, Family, Kid Fic, M/M, Slow Build, Veterinary Clinic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 17:39:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1175968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/webofdreams89/pseuds/webofdreams89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isaac keeps seeing Scott around town and it isn’t until the fourth time that he works up the courage to ask him out.  Sadly, it doesn’t quite go like he planned.  </p>
<p>Or how Isaac is smitten, Scott has his reasons, and Stiles is a troll.  So what else is new.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It’s a mystery to me how you keep on slipping in my mind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bridgettekeye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bridgettekeye/gifts).



> Just to be safe, I'm going to have Trigger Warning for a discussion of child abuse (it's mentioned but isn't in very much detail and the section is pretty short) and also character death (it's a minor character and canon).
> 
> Prompt: "We've got to stop running into each other like this." Also, kidfic and "happy or at least realistic ending."
> 
> Title from the song Kill! Kill! Kill! by the Pierces
> 
> Enjoy!

The first time Isaac saw him, he was at the grocery store, contemplating the differences between two brands of tomato sauce. He looked up at Isaac and smiled a little at him before turning back to the jars in his hand.  Isaac nearly dropped the box of pasta in his hands and tripped over his feet as he tried to get out of there.  He couldn’t figure out why his heart was hammering in his chest (okay, so he had _some_ clue why) and didn’t want to deal with it.  Isaac exited the pasta aisle and headed for the cereals.

 

He saw the guy three more times – three more times in which the guy gave him a wide smile each time – before Isaac could admit that yeah, maybe he was really sort of attracted to this guy.  Isaac was at the trunk of the car loading groceries when he saw the guy come out of the store pushing his cart and heading toward a nearby SUV.  The guy didn’t see Isaac this time, which was a little disappointing since it meant he wouldn’t give Isaac another one of his smiles, but it did give him the chance to really check the guy out without having to worry about looking like a total creep. Even if he was kind of acting like one.

 

Dressed in faded jeans and an old t-shirt that stretched appealingly across the guy’s back, Isaac took in his dark hair and smooth brown skin.  Because the guy’s back was facing him, Isaac couldn’t see his eyes, but wasn’t too disappointed when the guy bent over and his jeans stretched across his ass.  He was a few inches shorter than Isaac which he liked for some reason and it looked like he worked out.  But it was that smile, wide and happy, he’d gotten in the store that really had Isaac’s pulse spiking as he stood there and scoped the guy out.

 

Isaac thought about going over to there and introducing himself but wasted so much time contemplating it that the guy was slamming his door and driving off before Isaac come to a decision.  He was sort of disappointed in himself for the next few days when he gave himself the chance to think about it, even going so far to mention it to his co-worker, Stiles, a few days later.  Stiles had apparently gone to high school with Isaac but he honestly didn't remember him at all, but he'd had a lot going on back then so it wasn't too surprisingly.

 

“You’re a dumbass, Lahey,” Stiles replied, pushing another stack of books into Isaac's arms as they unloaded them from boxes.

 

“Thanks Stiles, that’s so incredibly helpful of you,” Isaac muttered.  He quickly counted the books and grabbed the clipboard to mark the shipment. 

 

Honestly, he liked Stiles just fine, but sometimes he really grated on Isaac’s nerves, throwing out unhelpfun sarcastic comments rather than suggestions that might be of use to him.

 

“What?” Stiles asked, standing up straight, one hand on his hip.  “You just told me you met some gorgeous guy, fell immediately into lust with him, and let him get away without his phone number.  That kind of makes you a dumbass.”

 

Isaac didn’t want to admit it aloud, but Stiles was sort of right.  Not that he’d ever let Stiles know that.  So instead he said, “He was probably straight anyway.”

 

Stiles only shrugged and went back to pulling books from the boxes. 

 

The second time Isaac saw the guy, he had to do a double take.  Nearly three weeks had passed during which time Isaac had given up on ever seeing him again, so it really made his head spin to see him a couple of people ahead of him in line at the pharmacy.  Mystery guy talked to the pharmacist for a moment before grabbing his prescriptions from the counter and turning around.  His eyes widened a little when he saw Isaac standing there before recovering and giving him a grin Isaac felt all the way down to his toes.  Isaac’s breath stuttered and he tried to say something, anything really, but the guy was already walking past. 

 

Isaac quickly went through the rigmarole of signing for his pills and flashing his insurance card before dashing out to the parking lot.  He looked around, but by that time the guy was long gone.  And a few days later, when Isaac sees him at the library and doesn’t say anything, he's forced to readily admit to himself that it’s pure cowardice on his part.

 

So of course he lamented this latest development in his nonexistent love life to Stiles who just gave him an assortment of long-suffering looks.  Sometimes Isaac didn’t really know why they were even friends, or whatever it was they were.  It wasn’t like they hung out outside of work really except for occasionally grabbing a few beers after work if their shifts ended at the same time.  But it wasn’t like Isaac was really rolling in people he could vent to.  He had an older brother, Camden, who was currently stationed across the country at Fort Benning, and his two best friends, Boyd and Erica, who had moved three hours away so Erica could get her Master’s.  Isaac really didn’t get to see any of them much anymore.

 

“Isaac, you have to start taking chances,” Stiles told him and again.  Isaac hated that Stiles Stilinski, of all people, was right.  “Life gave you another chance to talk to this guy, or should I say _chances,_  and you didn’t take any of them.”

 

Sighing, Isaac said, “I didn’t really think it was right to ask him out while I was picking up my anti-depressants, okay?”

 

“There’s nothing wrong with taking anti-depressants.  A lot of people take them.  Besides, it’s not like he knew what you were picking up, not unless you showed him the label.  And maybe he was picking up pills there were a lot worse.  Like something to curb homicidal tendencies.”  Isaac thought Stiles was joking at first, but when he turned to look at Stiles and saw him looking thoughtful, Isaac shuddered.

 

“Yeah, because that makes me so much more confidant in asking out a complete stranger.”

 

Stiles shrugged.  He glanced at his cell phone before sliding it back into his pocket.  “I’m going to go on my lunch break now.  My brother’s buying me a burger.”

 

“I didn’t know you had a brother,” Isaac said, looking through another inventory list. 

 

“Oh, yeah well he’s actually my step-brother.  Technically.  But he's been my best friend ever since we met in kindergarten.”

 

“Wow,” Isaac said, looking up, “that’s actually pretty cool.  So you guys still basically grew up together anyway.”

 

An uncharacteristically soft expression fell onto Stiles’ face.  “Yeah,” he said smiling, “I guess we did.  I got really lucky.”  He took off his apron and slung it over his shoulder and waved as he walked off.  Isaac’s own stomach rumbled as Stiles left but he knew he’d have his own lunch break in a half hour or so.

 

 

*

 

Working in the bookstore three years after graduating college with a degree in social work hadn’t been the plan, but with student loans and bills stacking up and few job opportunities in the surrounding area, he had little choice but to work outside his field.  Sometimes he thought about going back for grad school but he didn’t yet know what he'd go know for.  Besides, working the bookstore wasn’t so bad.  He liked his co-workers well enough and because the company was too cheap to hire more employees, Isaac always had plenty of hours.  In the current economy, that was more than a lot of people could say so he wasn’t going to complain.  And with the checks Camden sent home each month to help with the mortgage on their childhood home, Isaac figured he was doing alright for now.

 

The rest of the day went by slowly until it was five o’clock at last.  Isaac punched out and checked his phone, noticing two missed texts from Erica.  He replied to her as he headed to his car, promising to have a Skype date with her and Boyd sometime over the weekend. 

 

It was a fifteen minute drive from the book store to Isaac’s house.  Sometimes he wondered why he still lived there.  Camden had said multiple times that it was more than okay if Isaac wanted to move out, to live somewhere else that didn’t contain quite so many memories of their parents, but something kept Isaac there, even if he didn’t feel entirely comfortable living there at times.  But then again, he hadn’t since before their mom died and dad turned to the bottle.

 

The one thing that helped was the dog he bought after graduating college, a mutt from the animal shelter named Heidi.  The house was really too big for only one person and she helped to fill the empty spaces, to put Isaac at ease.

 

When he pulled into the driveway, Isaac saw Heidi looking out the front window, waiting for him.  A fond smile crossed his face when he saw her.  She vanished from the window and he knew she’d be at the door waiting for him.

 

“Hey there, girl,” he said, crouching down to pet her.  She flopped onto her back, rolling around.  Isaac rubbed her belly and sides as she wriggled, his fingers coming into contact with an angry red patch of bare skin on her haunch.  He bent closer and saw that it was bigger than he originally thought.  It didn’t seem to bother her too much, but it didn’t look exactly pleasant either.  So after taking Heidi outside to relieve herself, Isaac grabbed a phone book and looked up vet clinics in the area.  There was only one in town, so Isaac punched the number into his phone and hit the send button.

 

“Beacon Hills Animal Clinic,” a tired voice said into the phone.

 

“Um, hi?” Isaac began, kneeling on the floor next to Heidi.  “I was wondering if I could get my dog in.  It isn’t an emergency or anything, but she does have a patch of fur missing and her skin looks really red and irritated.” 

 

He idly scratched behind Heidi’s ears as he heard a few clicks of a mouse over the phone.  “Well, it looks like the earliest we can get you in is….oh, we actually had a cancellation and can get you in today if you’re interested.”

 

With only plans of ordering a pizza, knocking back a few beers, and finding something on Netflix, Isaac agreed.  Besides, it wasn’t like he couldn’t still do all that once they got back.  “Yeah, that sounds good actually.”

 

The appointment was set for an hour from then, so Isaac passed the time but starting some much needed laundry and folding towels that had been sitting in the basket for about two days.  Glancing at the old clock Isaac could still remember his mom first hanging on the wall when he was seven, he rounded Heidi up, clipping a leash to her collar and heading for the car.

 

There were a few other people milling around the waiting room of the animal clinic when Isaac arrived, mostly cats in cages or dogs on bizarrely patterned leashes.  The woman at the front desk gave him a few forms to fill out asking for Heidi’s medical history.  He returned them and only had to wait about five minutes when the door leading to the back rooms opened and Isaac’s heart sped up significantly.

 

Standing there reading a clipboard was him, the man Isaac first saw at the grocery store.  The man looked up after a moment and called out, “Isaac and Heidi?”  His dark eyes swept the room and landed on Isaac as he stood from his chair.  Isaac saw the man's eyes widen a bit when they landed on him before he smiled, and said, “Right back here, please.”  

 

It was nice finally hearing his voice, low and soft.  Wordlessly, Isaac walked toward him with Heidi at his heels and followed him into a room. 

 

“I’m Dr. McCall,” the man said, sticking out a hand for Isaac to shake.  A jolt shot through Isaac at the feel of Dr. McCall’s calloused hand in his.  Isaac was sure he held on just a little longer than what was typically acceptable, but Dr. McCall didn’t comment on it.  A guy that good looking was probably used to people acting a little weird around him.

 

Isaac roughly cleared his throat and replied, “Isaac Lahey.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Dr. McCall said.  His smile widened.  “I don’t think I’ve been imagining it when I say we’ve been seeing each other around town a lot lately.”

 

Isaac was a little surprised that he even mentioned it, but pleased and it was enough to give him a boost of confidence and give Dr. McCall a smile in return.  “I think we have.  First chance we’ve had to actually speak to each other.”

 

Dr. McCall laughed, and god did it sound good, like something Isaac wanted to hear a lot more of.  “True,” Dr. McCall said good-naturedly before looking down at Heidi.  He knelt down and petted her.  She responded enthusiastically, trying to lick at his face.  “Whoa, girl,” Dr. McCall said laughing, pulling away and standing back up.  Isaac could actually see his serious face sliding into place.  For some reason it made him happy that he took his job so seriously.  “Now, what prompted you to bring Heidi in today?”

 

Isaac rattled off her symptoms, watching as Dr. McCall slipped on a pair of gloves and lifted Heidi onto the table.  “Here on her leg the only place you’ve noticed it?” he asked, looking closely at the spot.

 

“Yeah,” Isaac said, stepping to the other side of the table.  “When I got home from work a little while ago was the first time I even noticed it.”

 

“Hm, well it isn’t that big so it probably hasn't been there that long,” Dr. McCall said, looking over the rest of Heidi’s body, sometimes moving her fur around to get a better look at her skin.

 

After a few minutes, Dr. McCall straightened and said, “I noticed she has a few fleas, so that’s most likely what’s causing the acute moist dermatitis.  Animals tend to overscratch and bite at their skin for even just a couple of fleas.”

 

Isaac felt an overwhelming sense of shame wash over him and it must have shown on his face because Dr. McCall quickly said, “Most animals have fleas, Mr. Lahey.  It’s almost impossible to completely keep them at bay even with pills, special shampoos,carpet powders, and sprays.  Sometimes the best you can do is keep them at bay.”  He smiled again reassuringly and Isaac briefly wondered how someone he’d just met could make him feel at ease so quickly.  Tentatively, Isaac smiled back.

 

For the next few minutes as Dr. McCall thoroughly cleaned the hot spot, they chitchatted about animals and how he liked working as a veterinarian. 

 

“Growing up, I always thought I was going to be a nurse like my mom, but then in high school I took a job here cleaning out animal cages after school and I guess I kind of fell in love with it, with working with animals,” Dr. McCall said.  The fond look on his face made Isaac smile, at least until his expression darkened.  “It wasn’t real long after my dad left and Dr. Deaton, the guy that owns this place, sort of took me under his wing.  I was a little messed up and working here helped put me back on track.”

 

He moved to put aside the soap and emptied the bucket of water down the sink, peeling off his gloves and tossing them in the trash.  He opened a cabinet and pulled a tube out of box and walked back to stand on the other side of the table.  “Sorry, I don’t usually go on and on like that,” Dr. McCall said, giving Isaac an embarrassed smile.  For just a moment, Isaac thought he saw Dr. McCall’s eyes flicker down to his lips, a dark red flush on his cheeks and it made Isaac think that maybe his little crush wasn’t so one-sided after all.

 

Isaac wanted to tell him that it was okay, that he really didn’t mind listening to him talk about his past, that he liked it, but instead he blurted out, “Do you want to go to dinner with me sometime?”  It came out in a jumbled rush and immediately Isaac felt himself blush.  He wanted to kick himself, and hard.

 

Dr. McCall looked surprised, jolting a bit.  “I, uh,” he began, rubbing at the back of his head for a moment.  A strange look crossed his face before he finally said, “I…I’m really sorry, but I can’t accept.”

 

Isaac felt his stomach plummet.  He’d been rejected before, not often because he didn’t really date all that much, but it never felt quite this bad.  Or maybe it had just been so long he forgotten how shitty it felt.

 

“Oh,” Isaac said, his voice coming out raw from his dry throat, “that’s fine.  Perfectly fine, even.”

 

Dr. McCall gave him a sad look before handing over the tube and told Isaac to apply it to the affected area twice a day and to bring Heidi back if the problem persisted.  To himself, Isaac thought that if Heidi’s dermatitis persisted, he was probably going to go to an animal clinic somewhere outside of Beacon Hills because this was just too embarrassing.

 

He grabbed Heidi and headed for the door when Dr. McCall said, “Um, Isaac?”

 

Isaac stopped and turned, gulping slightly because he didn’t know what to expect.

 

“I really am sorry,” Dr. McCall said, and Isaac could tell that he even meant it, but it didn’t stop it from stinging.

 

 

*

 

“Well, you’re in a great mood today,” Stiles commented the next morning at work.  They were both on registers that day, cashing in their drawers before opening.

 

“I guess,” Isaac replied.  He didn’t think it was that obvious that he felt a little down, but he had known Stiles for about three years now so it was probably pretty easy for him to tell.

 

“Want to talk about it?” he asked, turning his full attention over to Isaac. 

 

“Not really,” Isaac said, letting out a deep breath. 

 

He didn’t want to be one of those douchy guys that couldn’t handle hearing the word no because he hated those guys.  But after spending his evening analyzing how he’d been so sure Dr. McCall had been flirting with him, sharing things about himself, giving Isaac appreciative looks, it didn’t make sense.  Of course he could have been in a relationship or straight, but straight guys didn’t usually look at someone’s lips that much unless they needed to lip read – which was another possibility yet.  The only thing he succeeded in doing was giving himself a headache.

 

Overanalyzing everything was something he really hated about himself.  But, he figured, a little venting never hurt anyone.  His old therapist had told him time and again that he kept too much bottled up.

 

He sighed and said, “So I saw the hot guy again.”

 

That seemed to quirk Stiles’ interest and he looked over, slamming his drawer shut.  “Did you finally ask him out?”

 

“Yep,” Isaac said, over-annunciating the ‘p’.

 

“And?” he asked impatiently.

 

“He said no,” Isaac said, shrugging in a way he hoped was nonchalant.

 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Stiles said.  It wasn’t even remotely sarcastic either like ninety percent of what usually came out of his mouth.  He looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, “Where did you see him this time?”

 

“Vet’s office,” Isaac said.  Stiles gave him a funny look.  “I had to take my dog Heidi in.”

 

“Beacon Hills Animal Clinic?” he asked, his eyebrow quirking up.

 

Isaac couldn’t figure out why Stiles cared so much about that, but nodded.  “Yeah, it’s the only one in town.  Why?”

 

“Nothing,” Stiles said quickly.  A little too quickly if three years of sort-of friendship with Stiles have taught him anything.  “I’ve just been there before, that’s all.  I mean, it’s the only animal clinic in town after all.  Heh.”

 

It was Isaac’s turn to give him a funny look.

 

 

*

 

Two days passed and Isaac did his best to push the rejection from his mind.  It was surprisingly easy to distract himself.  After all, it was just a bit of a crush  and he barely even knew the guy.  He Skyped with Erica and Boyd for nearly three hours one night and even got a phone call from Camden.  His brother had only been able to talk for a few minutes, but it was good to hear from him nevertheless.  Stiles talking his ear off kept him occupied at work, and there were always plenty of books to stock and inventory to do.

 

“So I’m going to have lunch with my brother again today,” Stiles said three days after the disastrous visit to the animal clinic (which really hadn’t been as bad as Isaac’s brain liked to make it out to be). 

 

Stiles stared at him like he was waiting for some sort of response before Isaac finally frowned and said, “That’s cool.  You guys do that a lot, right?”

 

“That we do, whenever we can coordinate breaks and he can get away from the office.”

 

“Um, great.”

 

“Yeah, it is, isn’t it?  He’s such a good guy, a busy guy.  But responsible, you know?” Stiles asked, and Isaac began getting this weird sinking feeling but wasn’t sure why.

 

“I guess so,” Isaac replied, more puzzled than before. 

 

A few hours passed during which time Stiles brought up his brother a few more times, mentioning how he liked to look out for people and didn’t like messing around (“But just with hearts, you know?  Because he can be a goofball too, but he’d never mess around with someone’s feelings, not _intentionally_.”)

 

Isaac’s stomach rumbled and he glanced at his cell phone, knowing that he couldn’t take his lunch break until Stiles got back from his.  “Stiles, your break started like five minutes ago-” he began when Stiles’ phone started buzzing in his pocket.

 

“Hello?  Shoot, sorry man.  No, I’m kind of in the middle of something at the moment.”  Isaac raised an eyebrow at that because they were only unloading boxes.  There’d still be plenty left to do when they both were done with their breaks.  “Yeah…okay, well, why don’t you just come find me.  I’m in the back…No, you can just come through the doors, it’s totally cool…Yeah, I know that…okay, see you in sec.”

 

Stiles repocketed his phone and turned back to the books like he wasn’t acting weird at all.  Isaac wanted to ask, but wasn’t entirely sure he wanted the answer either, so he turned back to the books as well.

 

A few minutes passed as they worked in silence before Isaac heard someone call out, “Stiles?”

 

“Back here!” Stiles said, shooting up straight and waving his hand in the air.

 

Isaac heard someone make their way through the empty boxes and stacks.  “Jeez Stiles, why didn’t you just meet me up front like always?  That's why people have breaks, so they can actually _take_ a break from working.” 

 

Isaac was hardly paying any attention until he realized that he recognized that voice.  He briefly squeezed his eyes shut, knowing that it was far too late to hide, and straightened up, turning to look at the newcomer behind him.

 

He watched as Dr. McCall’s eyes widened in surprise before he resumed walking over.

 

“Hey Scotty!” Stiles said, walking over to Dr. McCall and clasping his shoulder tightly.  “I just need to grab my stuff and then we can go.”

 

With that, Stiles bounded off to the locker room.  Somehow, _somehow_ , Stiles knew that Dr. McCall was the guy he’d been thinking about – probably figured it out after Isaac had mentioned taking his dog to the vet – and had set this entire thing up on purpose.  After all, Dr. McCall had already said that Stiles usually met him in front of the store.

 

For nearly a full minute, both Isaac and Dr. McCall stood there in silence.  Isaac could feel his eyes on him but he refused to look back, or tried to at least.  He didn’t want to act petty or anything, but he felt incredibly embarrassed and unsure of himself.

 

He heard Dr. McCall clear his throat and Isaac finally gave him a good look.  He was dressed in khaki pants and a navy sweater and he looked really good.  The blush high on his cheeks put Isaac a little at ease.  “So how is your dog doing?  Heidi, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Isaac said, running his hand through his curly hair.  He couldn’t believe he’d remembered his dog’s name after nearly three days’ worth of patients.  “She’s doing well.  Doesn’t seem to be scratching or anything anymore.”

 

“That’s great,” Dr. McCall said, giving Isaac a look that told him he really meant it too. 

 

“Dr. McCall, I-”

 

“Scott,” he interrupted, taking an unsure step in Isaac’s direction.  “We’re not at the clinic so you can call me Scott.”

 

“Not Scotty?” he asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

 

Scott groaned, his face scrunching up.  It was probably the cutest fucking thing Isaac had ever seen.  “Stiles is literally the only person that ever calls me that and even I don’t know why he does.”

 

“Scott then,” Isaac said, and again he could feel the way Scott was looking at him, making the other night all the more confusing.  When he didn’t reply, Isaac barreled on and said, “So I had no idea Stiles was your brother.”

 

A wry smile crossed Scott’s face.  “Yeah, we don’t exactly look alike, do we?”

 

Isaac flushed.  Scott must have noticed it because he stuffed his hands in his pockets and his smile widened.  “I’m just teasing.  Actually, his dad married my mom so we’re technically stepbrothers, but that’s never mattered to us.”

 

Stiles rejoined them, looping his arm through Scott’s, and he steered him toward the door.  Scott threw one last smile over his shoulder at Isaac before he and Stiles disappeared back into the store.

 

 

*

 

Stiles was late returning from his break, so their boss let Isaac go on his break without waiting for Stiles to come back like he usually did.  His co-worker was in the backroom when Isaac got back and gave Isaac a smug look when he heard him approach.

 

“You are such a shit,” he said with much less venom than he’d initially felt.  Now he just felt sort of embarrassed about going on and on about how much he liked Scott when he was Stiles’ brother.

 

“That’s far from the first time I’ve heard that,” Stiles said, shrugging.

 

“I believe it,” Isaac muttered. 

 

They worked in silence for a moment before Isaac said, “So you knew it was Scott I was talking about.”

 

“Not at first.  Could have been anyone then."

 

“But then I mentioned seeing him at the animal clinic.”

 

“Yep.”

 

“I didn’t say he worked there though.”

 

Stiles rolled his eyes.  “There are literally only three people that work there, one of which is a woman.  I mean, there’s also Dr. Deaton, but he’s basically old enough to be your dad.  Call it a logical assumption.”

 

“Okay, I get it.  You get points for deductive reasoning,” Isaac said, grabbing a box cutter and opening another box.  “So why’d you invite him back here then if you knew?”  He didn’t want to the make the assumption that Stiles was being intentionally cruel, but he didn’t really know what to think.

 

“Honestly,” Stiles said, suddenly serious, “it really isn’t my place to say.  Just take my word for it when I say that I know my brother and him seeing you again won’t work against you."  He tossed Isaac a wide grin that made him a little wary.  "I’m always right about these things.”

 

Isaac felt even more confused than he had before, but didn’t say anything.  He watched as Stiles contemplated him for a moment before he grinned again.  “Besides, during lunch, Scott asked me if I had your number.  So, you know, you’re welcome.”

 

 

*

 

Later that evening when an unfamiliar number popped up on Isaac’s phone, he felt a jolt of exhilaration course through him before he answered.  “Hello?” he asked, his heart thumping rapidly.

 

“Hi, um, is this Isaac?” a voice asked, and sure enough, it was Scott.

 

“This is he,” Isaac replied.  He hoped his voice didn’t betray just how nervous he felt all of a sudden.

 

“Great, um, this is Scott.  From earlier?  And the vet’s office, and the grocery store, and yeah,” Scott said, and Isaac was pleased to hear that he sounded nervous.  Nervous enough that it makes Isaac chuckle.

 

“I haven’t forgotten who you are in the eight or nine hours it’s been since I last saw you,” Isaac replied, hoping it came across as teasing, flirty.

 

He heard Scott release a breathy laugh.  “Right,” he said, “that was pretty silly of me I guess.”

 

“Only a little bit.  So what’s up?”

 

“I was just wondering if…well, I know I turned you down before when you asked, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out and maybe get a drink with me?”  It wasn’t the anxious rush it had been when Isaac asked, but he could hear the nerves in Scott’s voice nevertheless.

 

“I’m free tomorrow night if that works for you,” Isaac replied before he had the chance to think about it, about why Scott had turned him down before but was asking him out now.

 

Scott released a relieved breath before he said, “Tomorrow sounds great.  I’m usually out of the clinic by five or six so what do you say we meet at the Triskele around eight?  They have really good burgers there.  If you like burgers that is.”

 

Isaac laughed.  “No, that sounds great.  The Triskele tomorrow at eight.”

 

“Awesome,” Scott said.  “I have something I need to take care of right now, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Bye, Scott.”

 

Isaac hung up and looked over at Heidi who sat at his feet, her head cocked to the side.  “Would you believe that I actually have a date tomorrow, Heidi?” he asked, leaning forward to scratch behind her ears.  She gave a soft whine and Isaac snorted.  “Yeah, me neither.”

 

About twenty minutes passed before he grabbed his phone again and sent off a text.

 

**[To Erica]** So i have a date tomorrow…

 

She replied less than a minute later. 

 

**[From Erica]** Skype. Now.

 

Isaac fondly rolled his eyes and started up his laptop.  A few minutes later, Erica’s excited face appeared on his screen.  She had her hair pulled back into a sloppy bun and her make-up had already been taken off.  She looked tired, but grad school and a job did that to a person.

 

“Okay, I need all the details right now,” she said, throwing Isaac a wicked grin.

 

“Erica, we've been over this.  You are way too invested in Isaac’s love life,” Boyd said in the background. 

 

“Hi Boyd.”  Isaac saw his friend give a small smile and wave before turning back to the book in his lap.

 

“I am not!” Erica said, turning around to look at to her boyfriend.  “Isaac is our best friend and he hasn’t been on a date since that douche Jackson broke up with him.  I’m allowed to be excited.”

 

Boyd ignored most of what she said and, without even looking up, replied, “Jackson _was_ a douche.”

 

Isaac sighed, honestly thinking that Erica was a lot more upset about Jackson breaking up with him nearly a year ago than Isaac ever was.

 

Erica turned back around.  “So tell me about this new guy.  What’s his name?  What does he look like?”

 

“Why do you want to know?” Isaac asked, suspicious.

 

“So she can Facebook stalk him,” Boyd said, and Isaac could see him smirking at the back of his girlfriend’s head.

 

“That’s so not true,” Erica said before cocking her head to the side.  “Okay, maybe it is a little true.  But Beacon Hills isn’t that big of a town.  Maybe I know him.”

 

“Erica, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Isaac replied with a laugh.

 

She flipped him the bird and gave him an exasperated look that had Isaac howling.  Eventually, he said, “His name’s Scott McCall.”

 

Erica’s eyes widen and even Boyd looked up from his book.  “You’re going on a date with Scott McCall?” she asked and again Isaac could see her excitement growing.

 

“You both know him?” Isaac asked, suddenly apprehensive.

 

Erica nodded.  “We all went to high school with him.  I’m surprised you _didn’t_ know him.  He's, like, the nicest person alive.”

 

Isaac thought back to high school and honestly couldn't remember Scott at all.  Shrugged, he replied, “I had a lot going on back them.”

 

Erica’s face darkened.  “Yeah,” she said softly, “you did.”

 

Boyd got up and sat down next to Erica and she moved the laptop so Isaac could see them both.  “So how did you wind up getting a date out of McCall?” Boyd asked.

 

Isaac then told them about how he kept running into Scott around town and the vet’s office and the bookstore.  He left out the part about how Scott initially rejected him before asking him out himself.

 

“So you guys both know him then?  He’s cool?” Isaac asked, a little nervous because Erica and Boyd were both the type of people that would tell you exactly what they thought.

 

“I mean, it’s been a while,” Erica replied, “but like I said, he was always so nice in high school.  He had this really bad asthma so he was basically my benchwarming partner in gym class.  Not to mention the fact that he’s absolutely adorable.”

 

Isaac grinned at her.  “He is pretty adorable.”

 

Later, as he laid in bed with Heidi curled at his feet, Isaac felt somehow both more at ease and more nervous after talking to his friends.  Boyd and Erica talked Scott up a bit and Boyd even mentioned the fact that Erica used to have massive crush on Stiles, which Isaac laughed at as Erica swatted her boyfriend's arm.

 

Surprisingly enough, Stiles doesn’t mention Scott at all the next day at work.  Isaac wasn’t sure if maybe Scott didn’t mention their impending date to him, so he decided not to bring it up either.  Stiles did mention something about babysitting, but Isaac was so nervous most of the day that he hardly paid any attention.

 

At one point, Scott sent him a text saying that he was looking forward to later that made him smile stupidly while Stiles went on about some movie he saw the night before.

 

When his shift was over, he headed home and jumped in the shower even though he had a few hours before he was supposed to meet up with Scott.  He had so much excess energy that he decided to take Heidi for a walk and had to take another shower when he got home after getting all sweaty.  It took him nearly fifteen minutes of rifling through his closet and dresser before he choose a pair of dark blue jeans, a black v-neck, and a gray cardigan. 

 

He was a little over ten minutes early when he got to the Triskele, but he didn’t see the SUV Scott drove the first time Isaac ever saw him.  However, when he went inside, he saw Scott seated at one of those small round tables that seated two. 

 

Scott stood up when Isaac approached and for a second Isaac thought he was going to just leave, but then he wrapped his arms around Isaac, a brief pressing of chests, before he pulled back.  His face was bright red and he was rubbing the back of his head again. 

 

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly.  Flustered was a good look on him.  “I didn’t even think before hugging you.  That was so rude of me.  I mean, you might not even _like_ being hugged.”

 

Normally, that was true.  A lot of the touches Isaac received after his mother’s death weren’t things he wanted to think about, sharp slaps and backhands from his father.  Scott touching him though, that wasn’t so bad and had Isaac’s heart pounding.

 

“Really it’s okay,” Isaac said, giving what he hoped was comforting smile.  “I didn’t mind.”

 

The worry eased off of Scott’s face and his eyes racked down Isaac’s body in such a way that it had his pants beginning to tighten.  “You look great,” he remarked as he sat back down.  Isaac took the seat across from him.

 

“Thanks,” Isaac said, “you do too.”  And he really did, dressed in jeans and a black blazer.  He also had a leather jacket hanging off the back of his chair.

 

They lapsed into a silence before Scott blurted out, “So I was going to order drinks since I got here first, but I didn’t know what you liked and I didn’t want you to feel obligated to drink something you didn’t see prepared.”  Which was surprisingly thoughtful and considerate.

 

They made small talk before the waitress came over and handed them each a menu.  Isaac thought she looked vaguely familiar when he looked up her but he couldn’t place her.  “Hi there, I’m Caitlin and I’ll your waitress tonight.  Can I get you started on drinks?” she asked.

 

Scott smiled at her.  “I’ll have whatever you have on tap,” he said.

 

“Me too,” Isaac said, glancing over at Scott.

 

“Awesome, well I’ll get your drinks out to you and give you a chance to look over the menu.”

 

Isaac looked over the menu, which was just a double-sided laminate.

 

“Have you ever been here before?” Scott asked.

 

Isaac looked up at him.  “Yeah.  My brother and I usually wind up here at some point whenever he’s in down.”

 

“Did your brother move away?”

 

“Yeah, he’s in the military,” Isaac replied.  Scott seemed like he knew Isaac was from Beacon Hills.  Maybe he remembered Isaac from high school.  Or maybe he remembered reading the newspapers back then.

 

“That’s really cool.  I thought about it for about five seconds before I realized they’d never take me,” Scott said, chuckling.

 

“Asthma?” Isaac asked before he could help it.  He hadn’t exactly wanted to mention to Scott that he’d been talking about him with other people because he might think it was weird since they hadn’t even been on a date yet at the time.

 

Scott gave him a puzzled smile.  “How did you know?  I know we graduated the same year, but I don’t think we ever really crossed paths in high school.”

 

“I don’t think we did either.  I definitely would have remembered you,” Isaac said, wishing he could just shut up for ten seconds, but Scott gave him a wide smile in response.  “Actually, my friend Erica mentioned it when I talked to her last night.”

 

Scott's smile widened.  “Erica Reyes?”

 

“That’s her,” Isaac replied.

 

“I had no idea you guys were friends.  She and Boyd still together?”

 

“Eight years now,” Isaac replied, oddly proud of his friends.

 

“That’s so amazing.  I’m really happy for them.  They were always really nice to me in school,” Scott said sincerely.

 

Isaac raised an eyebrow.  “Erica was nice?”

 

Scott barked out a laugh.  “I’m not even kidding!  It’s probably because we both had health issues.”

 

“Maybe you just bring it out in people?” Isaac asked, looking at Scott intently.

 

Scott looked like he was about ready to reply but was interrupted by the waitress bringing their drinks.  They rattled off their food orders, and then sipped idly at their beers for a moment before Scott cleared his throat and said, “So you probably want to know why I turned you down when you asked me out.” 

 

“No,” Isaac replied quickly, “you don’t have to get into that if you don’t want to.”  He felt apprehensive and maybe it was only because Scott suddenly looked so serious, but he wasn’t entirely sure.

 

“It’s okay,” Scott replied.  He ran a hand through his dark hair and bit his lip for a moment before adding, “I, um, I talked to Stiles and he got on my case because I, well, I sort of mentioned how I kept seeing you around town until that day you came in with your dog.  I didn’t want to turn you down, but I was scared.  So he told me I was an idiot for turning you down.” 

 

If anything, Scott’s rambling made him feel even more confused than before.  Maybe that was the point.  “Okay, I’ll bite,” Isaac said.  “Why did you turn me down if you really wanted to say yes?”  

 

Scott bit his lip again before he said, “I haven’t really done much – well, _any_  really – dating for a long time.  Not since Vivian, my ex-girlfriend, left three weeks after our daughter was born.  I really wasn’t ready to see someone else for a long time.” 

 

And that, Isaac hadn’t quite expecting that and he was pretty sure it showed on his face. 

 

“Oh,” he murmured, “well, Erica forgot to mention that.”

 

Scott snorted.  “I wasn’t a father in high school and it’s been a while since I last saw Erica.  She probably doesn’t know.”

 

Isaac watched Scott for a minute, contemplating.  He really hadn’t expected Scott to be a father, but it wasn’t a deal breaker either.  Isaac didn’t exactly have a lot of experience with kids, but he liked them well enough.  It made sense that Scott would be apprehensive getting into another relationship after being hurt like that, especially since he had a child to consider.  To some people, especially if they didn’t have a child of their own, that _would_ be a deal breaker, but Isaac liked Scott, liked that he had priorities.

 

“How old is she?” Isaac asked, watching the relief fill Scott’s face.

 

“She’s almost four,” Scott said, pulling his cell phone from his pocket.  He messed with it for a second before handing his phone over to Isaac.  “Her name is Mariana.”

 

Both Scott and his daughter smiled widely at the camera.  Mariana looked a lot like Scott, especially their big, kind eyes.  “She’s beautiful,” Isaac said, handing the phone back over.  Their fingers brushed and Isaac felt that same electricity he felt when he shook Scott’s hand at the clinic a few days ago.  Scott must have felt it too because he inhaled sharply.

 

Their food arrived and they ordered another round of beers.  Isaac talked about his degree in social work and how he was still trying to figure his life out and Scott talked about Mariana and Stiles and their parents.  Eventually, Scott mentioned that he really had to be getting home to his daughter.

 

Scott insisted on paying their tab.  “You can pay next time,” Scott said, and Isaac thought his face would break from how widely he was smiling.  They walked out to the parking lot and Scott slipped into his leather jacket.

 

“Is the motorcycle yours?” Isaac asked.  Other than his own car, there were only a few other vehicles in the parking lot since it was still early for most bar-goers. 

 

“Oh, yeah,” Scott said, glancing back at his bike.  “You like motorcycles?”

 

Isaac had never given them much of a thought one way or another until he knew Scott had one, but he nodded.  They walked over to it so Isaac could look at it. 

 

“I had this green dirt bike in high school that I drove everywhere, but I always wanted a real bike so took as many extra shifts at Deaton’s office as I could senior year to save up for it.  My friend Allison’s dad got me a really great deal on this bike through his friend and I ended up saving hundreds of dollars that Stiles and I blew when we went to Vegas after graduation.   

 

“I don’t get to ride it much because I have Mari,” Scott admitted, “but I like to take it out every now and then.” 

 

Isaac’s lips quirked upwards.  “Were you trying to impress me?” he asked, taking delight in the way Scott flushed under the streetlights.

 

“Probably,” he replied, his voice breathy.

 

 “Can I…can I have a ride?” Isaac asked.  He took a step closer and saw a wide smile stretch across Scott’s face.  Scott nodded.  He stared up at Isaac just long enough to make him begin to squirm before straddled his bike and handed one of the helmets to Isaac.  Isaac put the spare on and swung his leg over the bike to sit behind Scott.

 

Scott started up his bike and Isaac tentatively placed his hands on Scott’s hips.  Turning his head, Scott flipped his visor up and said, “You’re going to want to hold onto me a little tighter than that,” before backing out of the parking space.

 

Isaac had never been on a motorcycle before, but he suspected that half of the exhilaration he felt was from being pressed so closely to Scott, his arms wrapped tightly around his stomach and his chest flush with Scott’s back.  There was really no possible way Scott could miss the way Isaac’s erection pressed into his ass, but he didn’t comment on it.  Pretty soon they were cruising along the country roads outside of Beacon Hills.  It was a pretty quiet night, but Beacon Hills wasn’t exactly known for its wild party scene.

 

They drove around maybe twenty minutes before Scott headed back for town.  Isaac couldn’t help but wish they could go on for a while longer but he knew Scott had responsibilities waiting for him back home.  He pulled back into the parking lot. 

 

“Which car is yours?” he yelled loud enough for Isaac to hear.  Isaac pointed and Scott pulled into an empty spot next to it. 

 

He shut his bike off, waiting for Isaac to climb off the back of the bike before climbing off too.  When he took his helmet off, Isaac saw that he was flushed and he was pretty sure Scott was pitching as much of a tent was he was.  That made him smile a little.

 

“I had a lot of fun tonight,” Isaac said, shuffling tentatively from one foot to the other. 

 

He waited for Scott to say, hopefully, that he had fun too, but instead he took a step closer to Isaac and asked, “Can I kiss you?”

 

Isaac’s mouth was too dry to speak, but he nodded fiercely.  Scott took another step closer into his space and raised his hand, carding it through Isaac’s curly hair as he stared at him.  He briefly bit his lip before surging forward and pressing his lips to Isaac’s.  Isaac’s arms instantly wound around Scott’s body, pulling him closer as Scott licked across the seam of Isaac’s mouth, pressing his tongue inside and meeting Isaac’s.

 

Isaac hadn’t kissed anyone since Jackson left him a year ago, and he'd really missed it, missed the closeness he felt with another person.

 

Scott’s hips seemed to unconsciously rock against Isaac’s, making him groan and press his forward too.  When Scott’s phone stated to ring and they broke apart, they were both panting hard.  He looked at the screen, pressed a button and said, “Hello?”  Isaac heard Stiles’ voice over the phone.  “Yeah, sorry, I lost track of time.”  Stiles said something that Isaac couldn’t make out, but that made Scott glance at him quickly before his eyes darted away.  “Shut up, Stiles…No, I’ll be home in a few minutes…Yeah, okay.  Bye.”

 

Nerves clawed at Isaac’s gut because this was usually when things got weird.  Scott turned him and said, “I really do have to get home.”

 

“I understand,” Isaac said, his voice gravely. 

 

A wide smile stretched across his lips.  “I wasn’t kidding about what I said inside the bar.  I really would like to do this again.  I think I’m finally ready.”

 

“Yeah,” Isaac said, “I would too.”

 

Leaning up on his toes, Scott pressed a chaste kiss to Isaac’s lips.  “Give me a call, okay?” he asked as he got back onto his bike.

 

“I will,” Isaac said, watching until Scott was long gone.

 

When Isaac got home, he sent a text to Erica letting her know that the date went well.

 

**[From Erica]** Details or die, Lahey.

 

 

*

 

Isaac was putting his things into his work locker the next morning when Stiles walked over.  It hadn’t even been half a day yet since Scott was kissing the sense out of Isaac in the parking lot of the Triskele, but he could still feel Scott's chest expand and fall against his own with each ragged breath, could still feel the intense heat of Scott’s mouth, and Isaac just knew it wouldn't be long before he had it bad.

 

“Well?” Stiles demanded, snapping Isaac from his daze.  Isaac turned to him.  “Scott is being surprisingly tight-lipped about your date last night and I want details.”

 

“So you came demanding them of me?” Isaac asked, because he really did get a sick joy in riling Stiles up sometimes.

 

“Obviously,” Stiles said, rolling his eyes.

 

“If you couldn’t get them out of your own brother, what makes you think I’ll tell you?” Isaac asked.

 

Stiles seemed to consider it for a moment.  “You have an annoying point.”  He turned to his own locker and began spinning the combination lock.   “You both suck.”  Isaac watched as Stiles’ entire body seemed to latch onto an idea.  “Unless you _do_ both suck,” he said gleefully, waggling his eyebrows. 

 

Isaac sighed.  “I’m really not telling you, Stiles.”

 

Stiles was quiet for a while before he turned back to Isaac smirking.  “You’re still friends with Erica, right?  Now she’s a _talker_.”

 

Isaac let out a shuddering breath.  “Fuck.”

 

 

*

 

It turned out that Isaac didn’t even have to wait until he called Scott to talk to him because Scott texted Isaac during his lunch break.  It wasn’t anything important or serious, mostly just silly stories about the animals he’d treated so far that day, but it made Isaac smile so often for the rest of the day that Stiles asked him to kindly ask the body snatchers to bring the real Isaac Lahey back because he was so much more bearable.

 

A few days later, Isaac went out with Scott again, this time meeting up a restaurant in downtown Beacon Hills.  It was a nice enough place and wouldn’t break his bank account.  They probably overstayed their welcome, especially during the dinner rush, but were so absorbed in each other that neither of them really paid much attention to the hostile looks the hostess gave them.  Afterward, they walked to a nearby park and sat at a picnic table and talked for at least another two hours under the moonlight.  Before Isaac got into his car and drove home, Scott kissed him again and somehow it was even better than their first one.

 

After a few weeks of dates that couldn’t last very late, not with Scott having a kid at home, Isaac cornered Stiles at work and said, “I will pay you a hundred dollars if you agree to watch your niece for the night.”  Isaac got the feeling that Scott wanted a relationship to be a little more concrete and serious before he introduced someone to his daughter, and Isaac was completely fine with that.  He enjoyed the time they spent together immensely and knew he was falling hard and fast.

 

At Isaac’s exclamation, Stiles burst out laughing and didn’t stop for nearly five minutes.  “I’m pretty sure Grandma and Grandpa would have done it for free, but sure,” he joked, informing Isaac really didn’t have to pay him because Stiles loved his brother and wanted him to be happy.

 

On their next date, Scott nervously informed Isaac that he had someone watching Mariana all night and for all his shyness, Scott fucked him hot and fast and hard that night and it was so much better than Isaac could have even imagined. 

 

“Man, have you got it _bad_ ,” Erica had said when he Skyped with her the next day, but she looked pleased.

 

They had a few more sleepovers over the next few weeks until Scott told Isaac that he wanted to talk to him about something.  They were at Isaac’s house and had just finished the shrimp scampi Isaac made for dinner.  Apprehension settled low in Isaac’s stomach and it didn’t help that Scott looked so flustered.

 

He rubbed at the back of his head like he did a lot, and said, “So, we’ve been seeing each other for a while now and I really like you, Isaac.  I like you a lot, more than I’ve liked anyone in a very long time.  And, well, I want to make things a little official with you and was wondering how you felt about that.”

 

Isaac’s breath caught in his throat and he had to wait a moment before he could rasp out, “I want that too, Scott.  So much.”

 

A smile spread across Scott’s face.  “So just so we’re clear, you want to be my boyfriend?”

 

Isaac nodded vigorously, reaching out to place his hands on Scott’s hips.

 

“Great,” Scott said, smirking, and Isaac could see in that moment that Scott and Stiles had grown up together.  “I want to be your boyfriend too.”  He pecked Isaac on the lips and then he dropped to his knees and blew Isaac in his kitchen.

 

Later as they laid in bed, Scott turned to him and said, “I know your brother won’t be back for the holiday so I was wondering if you wanted to come to Easter dinner at my mom’s with me.  That way you can meet my family.”  Isaac didn’t miss the implication that Scott wanted him to meet his daughter.

 

A week and a half later, Isaac pulled into the parking lot of Scott’s apartment complex.  Scott had told him it was alright if he brought Heidi so she didn’t have to be alone on the holiday and that Mari would love being able to play with her.  Isaac’s knuckles were white around the leash in his hand as he rode the elevator to Scott’s floor.  Scott was officially his boyfriend but somehow meeting his daughter made everything so much more real.  He’d never dated anyone with a kid before and truth be told, he was a little scared.  Scared that Mariana wouldn’t like him, scared that Isaac could be potentially watching her in the future and something happened to her, and just scared in general.

 

Scott answered the door with a smile on his, leaning up into Isaac’s space to kiss him.  They separated a moment later when Scott’s daughter came squealing into the room, flinging herself at Heidi and hugging her tight.

 

“It looks like our kids like each other,” Scott joked, kneeling down next to his daughter.  After a moment, he laid a hand on Mariana’s shoulder and said, “Sweetheart, this is Heidi.”  He picked Mariana up so she was eye level with Isaac.  “And Heidi belongs to Isaac.”

 

“Heidi and Isaac,” she repeated, smiling widely at him.  Isaac had just met her and he could already see so many of Scott’s mannerisms in her.

 

“Do you remember when we talked about Isaac?” Scott asked her, and she looked over at her dad.

 

She giggled and patted her hands against here dad's cheeks.  “Isaac is Daddy’s boyfriend.”

 

“That’s right, Mari," Scott said, grinning at her.  "So can you say hi to Isaac so he knows you like him?”

 

“Hi Isaac,” she said, smiling sweetly at him.  Isaac felt himself start to calm down.  He could do this.

 

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Mariana.  Your dad’s told me so many great things about you.”

 

She started wiggling in Scott’s arms.  “Wanna say hi to Heidi too,” she said, and he set her back on the ground. 

 

Scott moved closer to Isaac and wrapped an arm around his waist.  “I know it’s probably a little overwhelming, but for the record, you’re doing great.  You’ve met Mariana and you already know Stiles and those two are the biggest handfuls of the family,” he joked, leaning up to kiss Isaac.  For a second, Isaac wasn’t sure if it was okay to kiss in front of Mariana, but if Scott thought it was okay, then he could be okay with it too.

 

After that, Scott got Mariana into her coat, grabbed a bag with her things, and they headed down to Scott’s SUV.  “We should probably just take one vehicle,” Scott said.  He opened the back door and strapped Mariana into a car seat.  “Saving fuel and all that.  Then you can just leave from here later.”  Scott looked up at him through his eyelashes and added, “Or you could stay here tonight if you want.  I think Mari would be okay with that.”

 

Isaac was definitely okay with that.

 

Scott’s childhood home was pretty typical as far as Beacon Hills homes went, nothing extravagant like the home Jackson’s parents had owned. It was unassuming and homey. 

 

Once inside, Isaac felt a bit overwhelmed by everything.  He was introduced to Scott’s mom and his stepdad who Isaac hadn’t really talked to since the day he’d arrested Isaac’s dad.  Also there was Stiles and Scott’s friend Allison, along with her dad and girlfriend, Lydia.  Stiles mentioned that Laura, Derek, and Cora Hale would probably be stopping by at some point because they were apparently friends with the family too.  Isaac actually vaguely remembered Cora from school.

 

“Oh, Scott, he’s cute,” Melissa said, leaning in to hug him.  In his ear, she said quietly, “If this crazy family doesn’t drive you away after this, then you’re a keeper.”

 

“It’s good to see you, son,” the Sheriff said to him later as Scott helped out in the kitchen.  “How are you doing?”

 

Isaac felt a smile spread across his face.  “I’m doing pretty well actually.  And yourself?”

 

He grumbled a bit about the diet Stiles tried to keep him on and neither of them mentioned Isaac’s father even though he was positive the Sheriff remembered him, especially after he asked after Isaac’s brother.

 

The Hales arrived at some point and they were all just getting ready to eat when someone knocked at the door.  “Hey Isaac, can you grab the door?” Scott asked, his hands full with his daughter.  Isaac thought it was a little odd to have him answer the door since he’d been here the least out of anyone, but he shrugged and made his way to the door.

 

Opening it, Isaac was only aware of a mass of blonde hair launching itself at him.  After a moment, it pulled back and Isaac was left stunned.  “Erica?  Boyd?  What the heck are you guys doing here?” he asked, smiling hard at his friends.

 

“Scott got a hold of us,” Erica said. 

 

Isaac felt Scott come up next to him.  “I wanted to surprise you,” he said.  “I know they’re important to you.”

 

“We were going to be in town anyway to visit my family,” Boyd said.  Though most people couldn’t see it, Isaac could tell he was a little embarrassed.  Isaac gave Boyd a quick hug before moving aside so they could step into the house. 

 

“Is this your little girl?” Erica asked as Mariana came running up to the newcomers.

 

“Yep,” Scott said, and then introduced them all.  For some reason, Mariana took a real shine to Erica and followed her as Erica wandered off to say hi to their former high school classmates while Boyd engaged in a conversation with Chris about guns.

 

Isaac turned to face Scott.  “Thank you,” he said thickly, feeling the emotion bursting forth.  “Seriously, Scott, thank you so much.”

 

“Of course,” Scott said.

 

Isaac felt himself finally fully relax and kissed Scott there in front of everyone.

 

 

*

 

It was early May when Isaac got the call from Camden in the middle of the night.  Camden’s voice was raw as he said his brother’s name and Isaac knew right away what had happened.

 

“He’s dead, Isaac.  They couldn’t really go into detail because there’s still an investigation pending, but they said another inmate killed him after an altercation.”

 

Isaac felt numb as Camden kept talking about funeral arrangements and flights to California.  It was nearly six in the morning when Camden finally hung up with him and without even thinking about it, he grabbed Heidi and headed over to Scott’s apartment. 

 

It hadn’t even occurred to him the Scott might still be sleeping until he showed up at his door with bedhead and wearing rumpled sweatpants.

 

“Isaac?” he asked when he saw him, worry creeping into his voice as he stepped forward, his fingers brushing along Isaac’s arm.  It was as if Isaac’s whole body crumpled then.

 

Scott held him tight like that for a long time standing in his living room with the front door open before Isaac finally managed to say, “My dad is dead.”

 

Scott called off work and got a hold of Stiles to let him know what was going on.  Mari wasn’t in school yet so it didn’t matter that much if she slept in a little.  He ushered them to his bedroom and held Isaac in silence before he finally spoke.

 

“He didn’t always hit me.”  His voice strained, trembling, but he had to talk about him, he had too.  “That didn’t start until after Cam joined the army and Mom died.  And even then, it wasn’t all the time, not until he started drinking and then it was happening every day.”

 

Isaac talked about how his dad was like a switch, joking with him one minute and slamming his head into the kitchen table the next.  “Cam didn’t even know about it until after Dad was arrested.  I stayed in a group home until the army gave him a furlough until I graduated from high school and then he went back.  I haven’t even seen my dad since the day he was arrested.”  

 

He also told Scott about the therapists Camden made him go see and the anti-depressants he still took and how, even though it had been years, he still had horrible flashbacks and nightmares sometimes.

 

At one point, Scott left his bedroom and came back with a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass.  He poured Isaac a few shots and told him to sleep.  When Isaac woke up, it was to Scott's arms wrapped tightly around him.

 

Camden came into town the next day and together they made the funeral arrangements.  It was a small affair and not many people even showed up, just an old drinking buddy of his dad’s basically.  Boyd and Erica came to show Isaac support and, surprisingly enough, Melissa and the Sheriff came too.  Scott held Isaac’s hand the entire time.

 

Camden stayed in town for a few days and had dinner over at Scott’s at his invitation.  While Scott was busy in the kitchen, Camden sidled up to his brother and said, “I really like Scott.”

 

“Yeah,” Isaac said, smiling for the first time in days, “I do too.”

 

Bumping his shoulder against Isaac’s, he added, “I’m glad you’re not alone right now.  I have to be back on base in a few days, but I wish I could stay longer for you, Isaac.”

 

Isaac’s face softened.  “I know you do, Cam, but it’s okay.  I’ll be okay.”

 

 

*

 

Sleeping over at Scott’s became more common than not, especially after the funeral.  Mariana seemed to like having him around, particularly when Heidi was with him.  It wasn’t long before she got comfortable enough to be held by Isaac when they watched movies together while Scott made dinner. 

 

She fell asleep on him one night.  Scott came to sit next to them, brushing his daughter’s hair from her eyes.  “You two look cute like that,” he said smiling.

 

After a moment of feeling something bubble up inside him, Isaac admitted, “I really don’t understand how someone could ever leave her.”  

 

A long time passed before Scott finally said, “I was angry at her for a long time, Isaac, but I think I always sort of knew that Vivian didn’t want to be a mother.  She got distant while she was pregnant and it was even worse during the weeks after Mari was born. 

 

“Sometimes, though, I think the best thing she could ever do as a mother was to leave Mari with me.”

 

Isaac reached over and laced his fingers with Scott’s.  “I don’t understand how anyone could leave you either, Scott.  Maybe it makes me a bad person to think this, but I’m glad she did.”

 

Scott leaned over and kissed Isaac on the cheek.  “Right now, I am too.”

 

 

*

 

It was nearly three months later when they were at Melissa and the Sheriff’s house again for the 4th of July.  While Stiles and his dad argued about proper grilling techniques, Scott had grabbed Isaac’s hand and led him into a small thicket of trees behind the house.

 

“Where are we going?” Isaac asked him.

 

“Some place that Stiles and I used to go when we were younger and needed a place to get away.”

 

A couple of minutes later, Scott brought them to a stop in front of what looked like a clubhouse.  The entrance was only about three feet off the ground so they had to crawl through.  Inside it, he saw that the whole thing was lined with a bunch of tarps.  There was a wooden crate filled with what looked like old comic books and board games and there was large piece of wood elevated by cinder blocks that seemed to serve as a table.

 

“We used to spend a lot of time out here,” Scott said, looking around.  It was clear he hadn’t been out here for a while from the way he looked around.  “It’s held up pretty well actually.  We waterproofed all the wood and filled in cracks with mud.”

 

“This is pretty cool,” Isaac said fondly.  “It think Cam and I would have loved something like this when we were kids.”

 

Scott smiled at him and moved closer to him, threading his fingers through Isaac’s.  “We built this with Stiles’ dad when we were about seven or so.  My dad kept saying he’d help us build the clubhouse but it never happened.  At some point, Mom must have said something to the Sheriff about it because the next weekend we were out here with him learning how to seal it against the elements.”

 

“He’s a good guy,” Isaac said.

 

Scott nodded, but his face was a little sad.  “Even back then, he was a better dad to me than my real dad.  You know, Mari’s four now and he’s still never even seen her?  He sent a card once, but he called her Marisol.”

 

“That’s pretty douchy,” Isaac admitted.

 

Scott gave him a wry smile, “I really is.  But yeah, Stiles and I spent so much time out here after his mom first got sick and then after she died.  And then we did after my dad left and we did again after he kicked me out of his house because he really didn’t want to take care of some asthmatic kid anymore, not when he didn’t even think asthma was real.  I smoked my first cigarette out here even though it gave me an asthma attack and then Stiles and I got high out here for the first time – with a vaporizer so I wouldn’t have an attack – and I had my first kiss out here.  A lot of important things in my life happened out here.”

 

Isaac listened intently as Scott talked, finding the way he rubbed his thumb against the back of his hand to be really soothing.  “And now I’ve brought you out here, Isaac, because I want something else important to me to happen out here too.”

 

Isaac gave him a quizzical look but didn’t have time to think much on it before Scott’s lips met his.  It wasn’t one of their frantic kisses that led, more often than not, to the bedroom, but it still carried an edge of need and passion, and Isaac was still breathing heavily when they parted. 

 

“I love you,” Scott whispered, one of his hands tangled into Isaac’s hair and the other fussing with the hem on Isaac’s shirt.  “I don’t expect you to say it too, but I just really wanted you to know that I’m in love you and that I really want our relationship to work out.”

 

His hand was trembling as Isaac cupped the side of Scott’s face.  “I love you too, Scott.”

 

And with the smile Scott gave him, so bright and happy, something seemed to click into place.  It was subtle, barely there, but Isaac could feel it and for the first time since before his mom died, Isaac wasn’t afraid.


End file.
